


Stone Door

by Daerwyn



Series: A Collection of Drabbles by Helmaninquiel [59]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Lost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 01:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8308870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daerwyn/pseuds/Daerwyn
Summary: "Sorry, I thought I was alone..."2015 Christmas Drabble Collection





	

There was something you hated about the darkness in the halls of Erebor. Perhaps it was because it was so dark, you could not see a few feet in front of you, even when the torches would be stretched out as far as you could reach. It was like a swallowing blackness.

And how you often got lost, until you wandered your way back again, up as many stairs as you could find, and never going down. You would find your way eventually, you knew. After wandering enough, you’d start to familiarize yourself.

Hopefully.

At the top of the stairs, you came to a dead end. A stone wall that made you groan aloud in frustration. “Can’t there just be a single passageway that’s not meant to weed out intruders?” you cried. You kicked at the stone in frustration, and collapsed against the wall. It had taken you at least a few hours to get to this point.

You couldn’t imagine the few hour journey back down to try and find your way all over again.

And then the stone wall opened, as if it had been a curtain, folding in. And a very stern looking dwarf, freshly woken, was staring at you. Sweet Eru… you knew that face. “My- my King,” you stuttered out. “ **Sorry, I thought I was alone…”** You glanced around, wincing. “And lost.”

“Is there something you needed?”

You hesitated. “No, my King. I was just trying to find my chambers. I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you. I’ll just be going. I’m so sorry-”

You had managed to turn and go down a few steps before his voice rang out - echoing in the enclosed stone stairway. “Wait!” You whipped around, startled. He was sighing, his hand running across his face and through his beard in a tired way. “Where are your chambers?”

“I’m in the Cleaning Maids chambers,” you answered quietly. But your voice carried well enough in the echo. “I usually just follow the stairs until I find it.”

He stared at you as if you had lost your mind. “And that does not seem to have worked out for you.”

You flushed. “No, not quite. I seem to have gone too far.”

“Wait here a moment.” You blinked rapidly has he disappeared into his private chambers. The stone wall made sense. A dwarf door, unable to be opened unless a password or a specially carven key could open it. When he returned, he pulled the stone doors shut behind him. He was wearing simple clothing, a tunic and trousers. Nothing kingly in any regards. “Come, I will show you the way.”

“My King, I can’t ask-”

“Thorin, it is my name, you may use it.” You swallowed down the protest, too shocked to continue. “Come, I was not able to sleep anyway. It will be faster if I show you.”

You hesitated, but could not counter it as he was already moving, taking the torch from you without a word. “Thorin, please, you need not escort me to my room- it would be unseenly-”

“I was not always a king,” he stated simply. “And it is not a far walk.” Oh. You followed slowly, and he did not seem to walk fast, but instead at a good pace. It was not until you reached the bottom of the first staircase, that you heard him continue. “How long have you been here for?”

“Less than a week. I rode in from the Grey Mountains.”

“A long journey.”

Was he trying to make conversation with her? She didn’t even know what to say. “Quite, but it wasn’t too bad. The Misty Mountains are a sight to behold.”

He hummed, as if he agreed. “And dangerous.”

“Er, yes, I suppose.”

Down another flight, they fell into silence. “Where do you clean?”

“No where, yet,” you admitted, chewing on your lip as he glanced back to you, surprised. “I, um, have to pass an interview with the Maid in charge of the group. And then I’ll start cleaning.”

“I see,” he intoned. “And if you don’t pass?”

You cleared your throat. “Then I… will ride back west to the Grey Mountains.”

He was silent again. “What did you do in the Grey Mountains?”

“My family had a farm, near West Grey.” He made a noise like he had heard of the location. “I left in hopes of finding something more.”

When they stopped, it was not at her chamber floor. She did not recognize it, but Thorin turned to look at her. “And have you?”

“Erebor is lovely,” you admitted, flushing. “But terribly lonely.” Realizing what you had said, you quickly shut your mouth. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be telling you this. You do not care for my problems-”

“I would not have asked, if that were the case.” Thorin stared at you, his expression unreadable. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N,” you said quietly.

He mulled your name over in his head, considering if it suited you, it seemed, before he gave a nod. “Thorin Oakenshield.”

“I know.”

He smiled ruefully. “Yes, it seems everyone knows.”

You flushed again, and glanced away. “Are we close?”

“Yes.” They went down yet another flight of stairs before moving down a long hallway. It was becoming more familiar. “I recommend not wandering if you do not know your way back.”

“I know it now,” you pointed out boldly.

Thorin glanced back as he walked, and there was a hint of a grin there. “If you ever pass your interview, I look forward to seeing you around the city.”

“If I ever make it out of a four staircase radius, you mean,” you returned.

His laugh echoed in the hall, but before your stomach could erupt into butterflies, as the sound seemed to fill you with a warmth you couldn’t explain. “Yes, that would be progress.”

He stopped at a door you recognized instantly. A door that led to the wing of maids. He rested his hand on the door handle  but before turning it, turned to you. “Should you pass, let me know.”

“What? Why?” you asked, alarmed. You glanced back down the hall, as if you had possibly ruined something - something he could report to the head maid-

“Because the person currently in charge of my chambers is less than adequate. And I could use someone with ambition. Something that needs this job more than any other dwarrowdam secure in their position. Someone that will need a place to clean, that won’t send them into unknown territory.”

You blinked rapidly. “But, the Head Maid said that you would not take a maid… that you didn’t trust anyone.” You nearly groaned at saying that aloud. “I just mean, that, you didn’t want anyone in your chambers-”

“I don’t trust anyone,” Thorin said simply. “But I find that you’d be easier to trust than any other maid that I have not escorted to her own chambers.”

“That’s an awful lot of trust for someone you did not know before they kicked at your door.”

He smirked. “I never truly liked that door. Too much paranoia surrounding it.”

“Says someone that doesn’t trust anyone other than themselves to clean their chambers.”

“Like I said, it is not working out very well. Less than adequate, I believe, were my words.”

You found yourself smiling, and dropped your gaze. “Thank you, my King-Thorin, for walking me. It was very kind of you.”

He dipped his head in understanding. “It’s no trouble. Sleep well.”

“You too. I’m sure a king could use it.”

“I’m sure,” he agreed.

He made to return the torch, but you shook your head quickly. “You’ll need it to go up the stairways. Keep it.”

“Sleep well.”

But before you could return the sentiment, yet again, he was already off, and was swallowed by the blackness soon after, his torch, well, your torch, the only way you knew he had even been there at all. But soon, that too disappeared. And you ducked into the hall, making for your chambers. The rest you knew without a light.

And you couldn’t help but think that the King had been flirting with you. But the rational part insisted that he was just being nice. There was nothing wrong with making a cleaning request.


End file.
